Council on Foreign Relations

From the opening remarks of a speech of Bush by Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations

"Those who established the Council nearly 85 years ago wanted to help prepare the American people for the challenges of world leadership."+

How does one "prepare" the American people for "world leadership" anyway, and why should we "lead"?

One world war and one cold war later, the United States faces a very different set of challenges in a very different world. One constant, though, is that U.S. leadership remains essential if there is to be order, prosperity, and opportunity around the globe.

So is it me, or could you read that as a threat?